G.R. Little Library: Race, Gender and Ethnicity Studies : Notable Figures in African American Music History in North Carolina

NOTABLE FIGURES

Thelonious Monk- Was a groundbreaking jazz pianist and composer, renowned for his innovative approach to harmony and rhythm. He played a pivotal role in shaping the bebop and post-bop jazz movements, introducing dissonant chords and unique improvisational techniques. His compositions, such as "Round Midnight," remain influential in the world of jazz.

Billy Taylor - Was a highly influential jazz pianist and composer, made significant contributions to the world of music. He was a prominent figure in jazz education and helped bridge the gap between jazz and classical music. Taylor's career spanned several decades, during which he composed notable jazz standards, hosted a long-running TV show, and advocated for jazz as a serious art form. His impact extended to promoting jazz appreciation, making him a key ambassador for the genre.

Maceo Parker - Is a pivotal figure in the world of funk and soul music. As a saxophonist and bandleader, he played a crucial role in James Brown's band, contributing to the development of funk music. His signature style and powerful horn arrangements are widely recognized, influencing countless musicians. Maceo's career also includes collaborations with Prince and his own successful solo work, making him a key figure in the evolution of funk and a celebrated icon in the music industry.

Selected Books

The Jazz Life of Dr. Billy Taylor by Billy Taylor; Teresa L. Reed (As told to)
Call Number: ML417.T24A3 2013
ISBN: 9780253009098
Publication Date: 2013-04-18
Legendary jazz ambassador Dr. Billy Taylor's autobiography spans more than six decades, from the heyday of jazz on 52nd Street in 1940s New York City to CBS Sunday Morning. Taylor fought not only for the recognition of jazz music as America's classical music but also for the recognition of black musicians as key contributors to the American music repertoire. Peppered with anecdotes recalling encounters with other jazz legends such as Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and many others, The Jazz Life of Dr. Billy Taylor is not only the life story of a jazz musician and spokesman but also a commentary on racism and jazz as a social force.
Monk by Laurent De Wilde
Call Number: ML417.M846 D4213 1997
ISBN: 1569247404
Publication Date: 1997-12-24
A tour-de-force by the acclaimed jazz pianist Laurent de Wilde, Monk is a personal, anecdotal biography of one of the greatest, most controversial pianists/composers in modern music.
African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina by Sarah Bryan; Beverly Patterson; Michelle Lanier
Call Number: ML3551.7.N85
ISBN: 9781469612799
Publication Date: 2013-12-12
Thelonius Monk, Billy Taylor and Maceo Parker, famous jazz artists who have shared the unique sounds of North Carolina with the world, are but a few of the dynamic African American artists from eastern North Carolina featured in The African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina.
98% Funky Stuff by Maceo Parker
ISBN: 9781613743461
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
Revealing the warm and astonishing story of an influential jazz legend, this personal narrative tells the story of a man's journey from a Southern upbringing to a career touring the world to play for adoring fans. It tells how James Brown first discovered the Parker brothers-Melvin, the drummer, and Maceo on sax-in a band at a small North Carolina nightclub in 1963. Brown hired them both, but it was Maceo's signature style that helped define Brown's brand of funk, and the phrase "Maceo, I want you to blow!" became part of the lexicon of black music. A riveting story of musical education with frank and revelatory insights about George Clinton and others, this definitive autobiography arrives just in time to celebrate the 70th birthday of the author-one of the funkiest musicians alive-and will be enjoyed by jazz and funk aficionados alike.

Selected Articles

Billy Taylor
Biography of Billy Taylor
Dr. Billy Taylor, "America's Classical Music," and the Role of the Jazz Ambassador
The idea of jazz as America's classical music has become a powerful way of defining the music, asserting its national and artistic value, and shaping its scholarly study. The present article provides a history of this idea through a close analysis of its primary theorist and most visible spokesperson, Dr. Billy Taylor. It argues that the idea was not a neoclassical and conservative product of the 1980s, but had important roots in the Black Arts imperatives of the later 1960s and early 1970s. It suggests that Taylor initially made the idea work inventively and productively in a variety of contexts, especially through his community arts project Jazzmobile, but that these contexts diverged as his public profile was stretched thin across and beyond the United States. The idea's disintegration into clichéd ubiquity in the mid-1980s then provides a critical perspective on the idea of the jazz renaissance, and an opportunity to consider the role of the jazz ambassador in the context of debates about African American intellectuals.
Thelonius Monk (1917–1982)
Biography of Thelonius Monk.
The Three Funkateers.
Alfred Wesley, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley make up the jazz band known as JB Horns. The group and their music are discussed

Race, Gender and Ethnicity Studies : Notable Figures in African American Music History in North Carolina

NOTABLE FIGURES

Selected Books

Selected Articles

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